Landlord inventory templates are available
for free online, but if you are a landlord it is an easy enough matter to
create your own. When you have a new tenant moving in, it is best if you carry
out an inventory check on the day, or just before your tenant is to move in.
Ideally, you will have the tenant there when you create the report because you
can both agree on things. For instance, if there is a scratch on the kitchen
worksurface it can be noted. You should also take photographs so that you can
both see what everything looked like on the check-in date and then it is easy
to compare with another inventory on the check-out date.
As a landlord, you don’t have to carry out
the inventory yourself, as you can get an inventory clerk to do this for you.
Some landlords do ask if it is possible to get a free condition report,
but of course an inventory clerk is going to charge for his services. The
nearest you can get to a free condition report is to carry it out
yourself, but even then, it is not “free” because you have to allow for your
time undertaking the report. One of the advantages of using an inventory clerk
is that he or she would be independent and for that reason it puts some space
between you and the tenant. Then when the end of tenancy report is carried out,
if there is any damage the tenant is less likely to argue about it.
The initial inventory should be carried out
before your tenant has moved in and before he has used anything in the
property. Once you have completed the report it should be signed by both you
and the tenant.
Of course, you should carry out
intermediate inspections, and managing agents and landlords have varying views
about how often. Some say every six months, some once a year, while others say
as often as every three months.
When you carry out the final report this
should be done on the day your tenant moves out and after his possessions have
been removed. The tenant should always be present for the final inventory.
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